Union garment



Feb. 14; 192s. 1,659,451

W. P. SWEENEY UNI ON GARMENT Filed J111y 9. 1927 2 sheets-snee: 1

, Feb. 14, 1928.

W. P. SWEENEY UNI ON GARME'NT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 9, 1927 Patented Feb. 14, 192.8.

'UNITED STATES WILLIAM P. SWEENEY, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

UNION GABMENT.

Application illed July 9,

This invention relates to garments and particularly to union garments in the nature l of overalls.

It is the main object of this invention to provide a garment having a quickly and readily securable flap adjacent the waist portion thereof which flap is capable of considerable eX aiision transversely of the waist portion o the garment.

It is the further object of this invention to provide certain novel improvements on iny union suit patented by me on Novembei' 14, 1922, Patent No. 1,435,736. The purpose of said patent was to provide a one l5 piece garment having an opening flap forming a drop seat adjacent the waist portion of the garment, which flap could be quickly and easily opened and closed by a special form of fastening device. The more specic object of this invention is to provide in such a garment means for permitting the said iap to be considerably expanded to conveniently permit the same to be widely opened.

These and other objects and advantages of Yo the present invention will more fully appear from the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawin s, wherein like reference characters refer to t e same or similar parts throughout the various 4U views and, in which,

Fig. 1 is a rear view of thewaist portion of a garment embodying the present invention and showing the drop seat of the garment closed as in normal wearing position; Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, as indicated by the ar- Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken on the.

line 3-3 of Fig. 1, as indicated by the ar- Fig. 4 is a rear view similar to Fig. 1, but showing the drop seat of the garment in opened up position;

Fig. 5 is a detailed view illustrating a type offastening means that may be used for closing one of the openings in the garment, and v Fig. 6 is a vertical section taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 1, as indicated by the arso rows.

Referring to the drawings, a portion of a one piece union garment in the nature of overalls'is shown comprising the portion 7 above the Waist and the portion 8 below the waist. The portions 7 and 8 are sewed or otherwise secured together at the waist sec- 1927. Serial No. 204,550.

tion of the garment at preferably the front side thereof and arennsecured at preferably the rea-r side thereof. Accordingly, the garment can be considered as having a. transverse opening extending approximately halfway around the waist section of the garment at the rear thereof. The front and rear p01'- tions of the garment are divided along one side adjacent the waist section to form a sub stantially longitudinal opening at one side ol the garment, the right side as viewed in Figs. 1 and 4 of the drawings. The said transverse and longitudinal openings connect with one another to form a triangular flap 9 in the portion 8. As the longitudinal opening at the right side of the garment eX- tends upwardly some little distance from the waist line into the portion 7 of the garment, a small flap 1 is formed on the upper portion 7 of the garment. (lo-operating fastening means are provided on the flaps 9 and 10 for securing the same together and to the front of the poi-tion 8 of the garment. In the embodiment shown, the side fastening .means comprise a button 11 secured to the inner side of the flap 10, a buttonhole 12 formed on a projecting tab on the flap 9 and a buttonhole 13 formed at the front right top corner of the portion 8. When it is desired to close the longitudinal opening at the right side of the garment, the button 11 may be engaged in the buttonhole 13, whereupon flap 9 may be drawn upwardly from the position illustrated in Fig. 5 to the position illustrated in Fig. 1 and the button 11 engaged with the buttonhole 12.

The front and rear portions of the gai'- nicnt are divided at the other side thereof adjacent the waist line, the left side as viewed in-Figs. 1 and 4, to form a second longitudinal opening which extends both upwardly into the portion 7 of the garment and downwardly into the portion 8 of the garment. A tape 14 of comparatively short length is sewed or otherwise secured to the inner side of the lower edge of the left hand corner of the rear section of portion 7 and the said tape is folded against itself and is secured as best illustrated in Fig. 4 to the a small triangular flap 16 will be formed at the upper rear left hand corner of the portion 8. (lo-operating fastening means are upper rear left hand corner of the porprovided for securing the flaps and 16 together and to the front sides of portions 7 and 8 to close the left side opening in the garment. In the embodimentv shown, two buttons 17 and 18 are secured to the upper corner of flap 16, co-operating button holes 19 and 2() are provided in the front lower left hand corner of portion 7, and a button hole is provided at the corner of ap 15. To close the left side opening, the button 17 will be engaged in the button hole 25, whereupon the two buttons 17 and 18 will be engaged in the respective buttonholes 19 and 20. If desired, a button and buttonhole may be provided in the front and rear sections of portion 8 below the waist line at the left hand side of the garment for further closing the longitudinal opening at the left side of the garment. For the purpose of description, the opening between the upper section and the lower section ot tape 14 may be considered as a secondary transverse opening in the garmentspaced a short distance above the above described main transverse opening.

rlhe lower edge of portion 7 at the rear side is provided with a strip 21 which eX- tends substantially across the rear side of the garment at the waist line and is secured to the portion 7 from the corner of flap 10 to the right corner of tape 14 and to the lower section of tape 14,. A similar strip 22 is secured to the upper edge of the rear section of portion 8 adjacent the waist line of the garment to oppose the strip 21. Co-

operating fastening devices 23 are secured to the free edges of both the strips 21 and 22. Each of the fastening devices 23' comprises a series of closely arranged locking members which when brought together by means of a locker member 2d iitting over fastening devices 23-23, as illustrated in Fig. 5, interengage with each other and become locked so thatthe same cannot be separated by stress exerted in a line normal to their length. The various members of the tastening devices 23 can be readily separated, however, by a spreading stress applied thereto by either pulling the right hand deps 9 and 10 away from each other or by moving the locking member 211 to the left as viewed in Figs. 1` Il and 5 of the drawings. The tapes 21 and 22, fastening devices 23 and the locking member 24 may be called a hookless fastener, land the same is a development of the W. L. Judson clasp locker for shoes;7 patented March 31, 1896, Patent No. 557,208. It is sufficient for the present invention to know as above stated, that the hookless fastener can be readily separated by a spreading stress applied to the Strips 2, at the right of locking member 24 or by moving locking member 24 to the left and that the main trapsverse opening at the rear of the garment will be quickly and readlly closed by the fastening members 23 when the locking member 24 is moved to the right. It will be seen by use of the hookless fastener structure that the flaps 9 and 10 can be almost instantly opened and just as easily and quickly closed. It will also be observed that the flaps 15 and 16 may be readily and quickly opened and closed by disengagement or engagement of the various buttons 17 and 18 with the various buttonholes.

It will be understood, of course, that instead of providing the above described structure at the rear of the garment, the same may be provided at the front or at other points on the garment and that the parts at the right side of the garment may be provided at the left side of the garment and vice versa. It will also be understood that various types of fastening means may be substituted for the buttons and buttonholes spcciiied and that the hookless fastener above described is capable of considerable modification.

A garment is provided which has formed therein a drop seat which can be easily and readily opened or closed and when opened will be capable of considerable expansion transversely of the waist of the wearer. Although the embodiment of the invention illustrated has been worked out particularly for use on overall garments, the invention is capable of being applied to many uses. The inventor particularly contemplates use of the invention in connection with sailors trousers such as are now commonly used in the United States Navy,rfor quickly and readily closing the forward opening therein.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details, arrangement and proportions of the various parts without departing 'from the scope of the present invention, which, generally stated, consists in the matter shown and described and set i'orth in the appended claims.

"What is claimed is:

1. A. union garment having a substantially7 transverse opening therein extending partway around the waist portion thereof, a substantially longitudinal opening at the waist portion spaced slightly from one end of said transverse opening, and a substantially longitudinal opening at the waist portion joining the other end of said transverse opening to form a main flap, stri s secured to both edges of said garment a jacent said transverse opening, each of said strips carrying at its free edge a series of interengaging fastener members, said members being so constructed and arranged that when closed they are locked against separation by a stress normal to the length of said strips but separable by a spreading movement applied to the ends ot said strips adjacent said last mentioned longitudinal opening to open said main Hap,

lill

said strips having (zo-operating interengagin? fastening means on the portions thereof a jacent said first mentioned longitudinal opening, whereby when said fastening means are disengaged and said strips have been separated the'main fiap of said garment can be considerably expanded.

2. A union garment having a substantially transverse opening therein extending partway around the Waist portion thereof, a substantially longitudinal `opening at the waist portion spaced slightly from one end of said transverse opening and extending upwardly and downwardly therefrom, a short trans verse opening a short distance above said first mentioned transverse opening and connecting with the central portion of said lon gitudinal opening to form small flaps at one side of the garment, co-operating interenga-ging fastening means on said garment for releasably closing said longitudinal opening and said last mentioned transverse opening, strips secured to both edges of said garment adjacent said first mentioned transverse opening, said strips carrying at their free edges aseries of interengaging fastener members, said members being so constructed and arra'n ed thatk when closed they are locked agalnst separation by a stress normal to the length of said strips but separable by a spreading movement applied to the ends of said strips opposite said longitudinal opening,iwhereby when said first mentioned fastening means are released from each other and said last mentioned fastener members are sepa-rated from each other, the waist portion of said 'garment may be considerably expanded.

3. The structure defined in Claim 2, said garment having a longitudinal opening at the opposite side thereof from said first mentioned longitudinal openin and connecting with .said first mentione transverse opening to form a flap and (zo-operating interengaging fastening means for releasably closing said last mentioned longitudinal opening.

In testlmony whereof I afiix my signature.

WILLIAMV P. swEENEY. 

